Love, bitter wrong 2012 03 21

'Love, bitter wrong, freedom, sad pity, and lust of power': Politics and Performance in 1820 When historians talk about 1820 it is often to discuss the attempts by the new monarch, George IV to divorce his queen, Caroline of Brunswick. George IV became king on 29 January 1820 after the death of his father George III. However, due to his father’s lapses into mental illness, he acted as Prince Regent for almost a decade before then. George IV was not a popular king; leading an extravagant lifestyle; accused of wasteful spending during times of war; and losing public confidence over his divorce attempts. The Pains and Penalties Bill of 1820 was George’s attempt to dissolve his marriage through claiming Caroline to have committed adultery. The subsequent trial of the queen was heavily followed in the press with a negative response. Although the bill narrowly passed the House of Lords it was dropped by government before reaching the Commons. The politics surrounding this royal scandal were, however, far from the only concern in that year, and it is to a wider appraisal of 1820 that Malcolm Chase looks to in his paper. Malcolm Chase (University of Leeds) 21 March 2012